The Adventures of Admiral Andreas
by PWAAproduction
Summary: Join Andreas in his quest of becoming a decent admiral.
1. Chapter 1

The day has come. After seemingly endless trials and tribulations of studying for the bar, Andreas has reached his goal of becoming an admiral. Following into the footsteps of his great-grandpa Andreus the 12th, he has never think of an occupation other than leading a great fleet of ships while pursuing but one objective of utmost importance. Yes, since Andreas was a child, no, from the moment he was born, fate let him know that he shall put his life to the task of protecting what he loves and treasures. To become a shield for the weak and to become a savior the world needs. Whether the world is worth of being saved is only a trivial matter to this very young man. He knew what he needs to do. Now friends, let us accompany him on his wild and dramatic quest full of adventures and life lessons.

It was a windy, yet warm morning at the local naval base of Zweikrallendorf. Andreas has just arrived by car, observing the misty location while searching for his reserved parking ground. It took him not too long to find said spot. With ease Andreas parked his Opel Galaxy 3000 into the tiny 1,80m wide parking slot, performing a doubled tornado spinner as if it was taken directly out of a tutorial video one could find on JuTube. "First task of the day… a success!" muttered Andreas as he was pleased with his performance and proceeded by exiting his car which was polished to the extent where one could see his own mirror image when getting closer. He took out his pink suitcase from the luggage trunk. While firmly grasping it, he began his march to the main entrance of the great facility. Along the way, Andreas could not spot any sign of human activity. The only things he could perceive were the rush sounds of waves and even more waves of water ramming against the cliffs in front of the base. Not even a sound of any machinery Andreas could observe with his well-trained ears. He guessed that it was still too early for people to work. After all, no one truly favors working at 6 A.M. over sleeping in a warm bed. Standing in front of the front gates made out of titanium, Andreas took out his keys sent to him by the officials a few days prior and slowly turned it inside the lock. With a great SNIEK-sound the gates opened themselves slowly, allowing the fresh admiral to enter the inner courtyard. After cautiously putting his keys back inside his pockets, Andreas put his hand on his masculine chest, closing his eyes: "…yosh. Let's go." As he confirmed his readiness, he knew there was no going back. This is it, the day he has longed for so long. It's time to tackle the shit out of his new job. He was more than ready. He was super-ready. Without further ado, he finally entered the facility where he would spend the next years of his life.

The hallways were as empty and almost as silent as the outside of the building. There was also no person to be seen. As Andreas wanders around, in search of his described office, he started to wonder whether he has mistaken the date of his first day of service. But he did not need to wonder for long, because he knew there was no way he could make such feeble error on the most important day of his life. No, he was sure. There's got to be another reason for the lack of souls. As he decided to stop his senseless wondering, he focused on finding his office. Good thing is that the building is actually pretty well structured and it did not take him too long to find his destination. "Three cheers to the architect", Andreas thought to himself. Being unable to wait any longer out of excitement of seeing his oh-so-beautiful office, Andreas enters his private domain people have been taken care of for sure... or so he believed. Reality was different. Being quite shocked at the sight of the room, Andreas gasped furiously while trying to maintain control over his inner self. "This can't be…" The room he was standing in was in a hilariously bad shape. The wallpaper was hanging half-way from the wall, there was no furniture aside from a dusty old cabinet and the floor was cracking as if it could give in any moment. But the most distracting feature the room had to offer was this seemingly random-placed box in the middle of the room. Andreas could not make any sense out of that. Why would anyone do that? Surely he had to enter the wrong room. His train of thoughts was soon cut off, because suddenly the wall on his left broke, or more like exploded, into 3000 pieces, pushing the young admiral to the ground who was trying to take cover. Although his quick reflexes on acting according to the given circumstance is remarkable, the situation he finds himself in is not one to be jealous of. Tons of dust were in the air and made it difficult for Andreas to catch his breath. Among all the confusion he was in, he finally realized something important. "MY SUITCASE! WHERE IS IT?" Desperately he tries to sight his pink buddy, but it was still quite dusty. He would not know what to do if anything was to happen to his precious belonging. Finally, he makes out its shape and rushed straight at it. Confirming its status and seeing that his beloved suitcase was undamaged by the explosion, Andreas let out a sigh of relieve. Not much later was his eye-tearing reunion interrupted by a loud set of screaming and popping of party crackers. "SURPRISE! Welcome to our naval base, Admiral!" On the other side of the demolished wall, a group of young girls and other people were standing, applauding the admiral for his "save" arrival. Andreas, at the end of his comprehension, was standing there, in the middle of all these people, not understanding what the fuck just happened. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF PANDAS IS GOING ON?!"


	2. Chapter 2

The clapping ceased as the crowd of people realized that they may have overdone it with their surprise attack on the now very confused and scared admiral.

"Panda? What'sh a panda?" a petite brown-haired girl in a long sleeved white marine-outfit asked.

"I think it's one of those special kinds of monkeys I've read about in a book before! I may be wrong though, hmm…" yet another small girl with gray hair tried to answer, but failed with her knowledge.

"…Is Shiranui the only one wondering about this pink suitcase? I mean, considering the color of my hair, I'm not really one to speak, but still. Even for me, this is a little too much. Does this man have no shame?" A pink-haired girl of middle-height was staring deeply at the precious belonging of the admiral, criticizing his taste while doing so.

Among the mass of people, finally someone took the initiative to walk up to the young admiral and help him get back on his feet. Regaining his senses, Andreas looked up to receive a warm-hearted greeting by a man he is only too familiar with. "It's been a while, Andi. How have you been all these years?" It was Ju, a dear friend of his. They have known each other since high school. As fate parted their ways, it was ultimately fate that brought them back together. As much as Andreas wanted to chat about the old times and so on, he was not quite yet able to. He has still not fully recovered from the shock he received and was still demanding some sort of explanation he would probably never get. Now at least being able to observe the people standing in front of him, he notices another face he recognized and still not believes to see even though he knew that he would.

"Andreus, der Barbar! How are you?" A relatively small, young man, when compared to Andreas at least who had a gigantic height in direct comparison, took a step towards the admiral, greeting him with a mighty handshake. "Daniel, so you really ARE here, huh…" Although upon his arrival to the naval base he had never believed to reunite with two of his best friends in such circumstances, he was still pleased to see them both being well. After closer inspection though, Andreas realized that yet another old comrade of his who should be here is not present. Where is 'he'?

"So, I guess I can start my little 'speech' now, yeah? Ahem." Daniel clears his throat and readies himself to speak. "Welcome aboard the naval base of Zweikrallendorf! Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Daniel, and I work as the overseer and caretaker of these ships. It was also their idea to have this surprise party for you, our new commanding admiral. We all look forward to working together with you, may it be in good or in hard times. If you have any questions, feel free to ask any of us. We will be more than glad to help out in your first days of service. Thank you!" As Daniel finished, the crowed began their ovation once more until their hands were sore red.

"You should introduce yourself real quick, too. " Ju whispers to the admiral. "Oh, yeah. Of course." He raises his voice: "Ahem. My name is Andreas and from now on I will be the commanding admiral of this facility for the next few years. I, too, look forward to working with you all. Also, thank you for… ehm… the surprise. It was indeed surprising, I can tell you that, haha. Yeah…" As he finished his introduction, the girls put up their smiles, being super-relieved that their new admiral liked their little surprise. With no longer need for further formalities, the girls rushed straight at the admiral, overpowering him with their strength. "Hey, hey. You look pretty young and you are already an admiral? That's, like, totally awesoooooome!" yelled one of the young ship girls. "We made a cake for you! Please have some!" begged yet another girl. Seeing the situation as it is, the admiral is already quite popular among the children even though not a full five minutes have passed.

After the commotion has settled down itself, all went to the neighboring room at the other side of the wall where tables and chairs were neatly put inside of the festively decorated room. All sat down and had some cake. Really delicious cake. A cake so delicious a certain somebody would die for if he would have been present, but he was not. Sucks to be him. Andreas sat next to Ju and they had the little conversation Andreas was hoping to have.

"So, you decided to join this naval base after graduating?" Andreas asked.

"Yo. I planned it quite a while ago actually. After all, working with the ship girls is something every engineer could only dream of. The high advanced technology they possess is beyond human imagination. I would lie if I said I wouldn't be proud working here. Maintaining their health is a privilege, you can learn more than you could ever do anywhere else."

"Yeah, these girls… sure are amazing. I, myself, wasn't too sure about whether I wanted this job or not. Maybe a casual base with casual fleet ships would have been easier to handle, but… well, you said it yourself. It's a privilege being able to work with them." Yes, the so-called ship girls are the sprouts of modern human engineering and technology. They are but… Oh Never mind. Everyone reading this should know what they are. There is no point on dragging this any further. Anyway…

As Andreas took more and more bites out of the chocolate sprinkled cake, he just came to realize how actually damn good it tasted. "Oh boy. This cake is really good! It's been a while since I ate one so rich in flavor."

"Props to Daniel and the little destroyers. They put an all-nighter in order to prepare for the party. You should thank them later."

"I will. Speaking of him, what does he exactly do?"

"As you should know by now, these ship girls are almost identical in behavior as normal human beings. That being said, it's only natural for them to have a person that takes care of them, especially the younger ones. Daniel fulfills that role. He makes sure that everyone is doing fine even when they are not in battle. Together with 'him', they also organized the ship-girl's daily routines, so everyone has a job to do while they're inside the base."

"I see. The importance of his job is not one to neglect. By the looks of it, the girls have been raised well." Andreas nods as wisely as a wise old man would do, but stops after he had come to realize something he almost forgot. "You mentioned 'him'… where is he actually?"

"I was just wondering about that too. I'm pretty sure we told him that we would hold this party-" Ju was cut off mid-sentence as the door was banged open and a loud voice filled the room.

"ANDIIII!" a young man screamed. After he realized that all the attention was directed at him, he actually got embarrassed for barging in like that. Looks of confusion drilled into his soul and he knew that he had to say something as quickly as possible in order to resolve the situation he was in.

After clearing his throat, he took a short breather and out of his mouth calm and collected words were spoken: "…Andreas, my dear comrade. Long time no-" He was not able to finish his sentence as the pink-haired girl lost her patience and sent him flying with a Sweet Chin Music. Abruptly the young man bumps into the cracking wall with his head, performing a back salto only to hit his head again and went face-down to the ground which slowly but surely was soaked in a good amount of blood.

"O-Onee-sama!" stuttered Daniel as he walks over to the beaten man lying on the ground, accompanied by the little brown-haired girl: "Hakashe! Don't die, okay?" "Don't worry, Yukikaze. He is not someone who would die that easily… probably." replied Daniel as he looked into the seemingly lifeless eyes of the man. Still sitting on the other side of the room was Andreas who frankly spoken could not quite believe what he just witnessed. His body started shivering as he tried to get a word down his lips, but he failed. "You okay?" asked Ju who was a little bit worried and tried to get to him. Although he was still in shock, Andreas finally, after gulping 3000 times, was able to get his mouth moving: "T-That was… THE BEST SWEET CHIN MUSIC I HAVE EVER SEEN!"


	3. Chapter 3

The situation has finally calmed down. Never could Andreas even begin to imagine that his first day of service would have such a rough and extraordinary start. It was beyond his capabilities to fully grasp the situation he found himself him not even an hour ago. One thing though he remembered quite well. No, it was impossible to erase the memories he now held deep inside his heart. The perfect stretch of the legs, the flawless momentum before the release, the inhuman strength laid behind the impact. He could now call himself a man without regrets. For he has witnessed the best executed Crescent Super Kick ever performed on this very planet we call earth. "So this is the power of a ship girl, huh…" Andreas was overwhelmed by thoughts of fear, admiration, disbelief and pandas. But this is what he got himself into. He knew from the very beginning that being an admiral, leading a fleet of Top Secret Weapons, would take way more than all of his willpower he has stored for the last 6 years. But exactly because of that, he has decided to join this, and no other, naval base. Since he was a young child, Andreas always sought a challenge. Driving his body and mind to the limit was his pride and joy. Thus he did not see the difficulty of leading the base as something bad. No, he took that fact and made it his ally. He was now one hundred percent sure. He will become the best commander this base has ever had during its time. Not only is he doing it to prove himself worthy. How could he? After seeing the faces of these young children, overjoyed just because they held a surprise party for their new commanding superior. Just thinking about it brought refreshing tears up Andreas' fiery eyes. He was now more than super-ready. He was super-ready-kai.

Breaking out of the thoughts he has lost himself in, he found himself back inside his not-so-astonishing office – and saying that is being kind. It did not even have a freaking chair. This was ultimately the reason why he has decided to put his cute behind onto the randomly-placed box he has spotted as he entered. 'Fresh Local Mandarin Oranges' it said. To his disappointment as he checked the content before, the box was filled with nothing but a shit ton of CDs labeled with 'Naka-chan SMILE SMILE vol. 4'. Man, how much he would like to eat a mandarin now. It reminded him of his days in the mountains where he trained his steel-like body that would even put Ares to shame. But he had more important things to worry about for now. He had been wondering for a while now. He actually did not know what to do now. There were neither data files nor instructions or advices given to him. He had been told by Ju to go and wait in his office while they are cleaning the party room next door. This was now again detached from his office thanks to a big poster made out of aluminum, picturing a big, red, scary monster called Cho'Gath. Even though Andreas had been told to wait, he has done so for almost 2 hours already. He started to get tired of the wait and decided it was about time he stood up from this stupid box and search for anyone to talk to. "But wait!" Andreas stopped. He had realized that it might be impolite to act so rushed. Maybe this was some kind of test, he thought to himself. Yes, that must be it. There is no way they would make him wait for two hours straight or, even more ridiculous, forget about him. They must have been trying his patience. Embarrassing himself in front of the team was no option, but this test proved to be harder than Andreas had previously expected. For some reason the air has gotten thicker and it was difficult to breathe normally. The ground was shaking lightly or at least Andreas perceived it as so. Drops of sweat were running down his face, chapping on his fists. Not much longer and he would lose it. Is there really nobody to release him to freedom? Anybody? In that exact moment a silence-breaking knocking from the door gained every bit of Andreas' attention. "Y-Yes? Come in!" He could hear the bells of relieve ringing from above the sky. Its sound fulfilled his heart. Finally, he regained his inner focus and was ready for whatever will come at him. Be it a gigantic dinosaur or a chainsaw-swinging clown. He would beat it. There was no task big enough for him not to solve. The door slowly opens, unfolding half the face of the man he has just recently seen. It was 'him'.

"Sorry I have kept you waiting, Sir." It was the man who has lately arrived to the party and unforgettable received known devastating kick. But to Andreas' very surprise, he had just now noticed the actual face of that man which was covered in some bandages. He must have been distracted by the tremendous performance of the Super Kick, he did not even notice. That's right, for Andreas knew that man oh-to-well.

"Jabbi!" Andreas failed to keep his collectiveness and rushed straight down to the injured man with full marathon speed. Confused, the man stuttered: "S-Sir? Hey, watch out watch out WATCH OUT!" It was too late. Unable to dodge, the man fell straight to the ground, cracking up the old wooden planks, as he let out a short, but intensive BLUEARGH. Ladies and gentlemen, he had just received yet another legendary technique - the Goldberg Spear.

Snapping out of his trance, Andreas has realized what he had just done. Being afraid he might have murdered his long buddy with his bear powers, he tried to wake him up with a few slaps to the face, carefully avoiding the forehead because that would be deadly. He stopped as he thought to himself that surely no one could survive after getting destroyed by two ancient, advanced wrestling moves. But this man did.

As the man laying on the ground moves an inch and tried to raise his hand, Andreas immediately grabbed it tightly, but carefully with his bear fists. Andreas came closer to his friend, trying to harken what he was trying to mumble. "I-I'm also glad… to see you…, Andi", were the words spoken from the man, his face now deeply covered in salty tears. As tears of his own ran down Andreas' sweet cheek, both of them nodded simultaneously, as if they would know exactly what the other is thinking at this very moment.

Shortly afterwards, Andreas helped him get back onto his feet as they both sat down – his friend was being given the box to sit on because he was still severely injured. They then began to have a small conversation Andreas was dying for the last two hours.

"Ahemmmmmm... so let me start off with a proper introduction, may I not, Andreas?"

"Of course. Please proceed", Andreas replied to his buddy who was wearing a sexy white lab coat.

"My name is Jabbi, and I'm one of the three human occupiers inside this facility – not counting you. Alongside with Daniel and Ju, who you have already met, we strive to keep this place intact, making it a fitting location for theses ship girls to rest and to live. My job in particular is to organize and to evaluate the data we have raised about anything relevant to the girls and finally to record it. Together with Daniel, I handle internal issues, in case there are any. I also kind of run the library, where you can find important historical references you may need. I say 'kind of', because most of the time there is not a single soul present, so there's not much to do. Well, I guess that's it for my part. I look forward to working with you again…, Sir", Jabbi finished his introducing sentences.

"I see, I see. So you guys are like the Top 3 of this naval base, huh? That's impressive. I'm glad to hear you made something out of yourselves", Andreas nods pleasantly.

"Exactly, but look who's talking. Compared to you, we are but your loyal 'slaves'. You are the big boss inside this building – be sure to take a little more pride at it." As Jabbi was trying to give his old comrade who is now his new boss a good advice, Andreas scratched his head.

"You know better than anyone else that I'm not the kind of person to boss others around and have fun while I'm at it. If everyone gets along with each other, that is more than enough for me to do my best as the commanding admiral," Andreas clarified.

Jabbi let out a short sigh. "Why weren't you born as a girl? That shit was too cute for me to handle."

"Don't bring up that topic again. Please," Andreas barked back.

"I'm sorry." Jabbi pet his check which was covered in the bandage mentioned before.

"…How's your injury?" Andreas quietly mumbled. He was still feeling guilty for the Goldberg Spear.

"Ah, it's fine. It happens a lot, so I'm used to it", Jabbi said as he shrugged with his shoulders.

"I don't think that's something you should say with such ease…", Andreas said with a tad of anxiety. "Speaking of the culprit, who is she? The pink-haired girl that kicked your face like it was the best she's at." While saying that Andreas tried to hide the fact that he was actually still quite impressed by the Sweet Chin Music that was mentioned at least 3000 times in this story.

"Her? Her name is Shiranui. She's a Kagerou Class Destroyer and also helps me out with my work from time to time."

"A destroyer, huh. If that's what a mere – and that's a careful 'mere' – destroyer can do to a human, I'm quite intrigued to see what the bigger ships can do. How many do we keep here actually?"

"Here. I have prepared a list containing every ship girl that's in use at the moment. Also, I've added a lot of detailed information in acquisition to their battle strength, capabilities, styles, humane characteristics and breast size. Please read it carefully and thoroughly", Jabbi reported as he handled over the scripts of paper he was carrying.

Ignoring the statement about having analyzed the breast size of the girls, Andreas took the documents and gave them a quick overlook. "Let's see…"

/

4th Ship, Kagerou Class Destroyer – YUKIKAZE

2nd Ship, Kagerou Class Destroyer – SHIRANUI

4th Ship, Shiratsuyu Class Destroyer – YUUDACHI

4th Ship, Fubuki Class Destroyer – MIYUKI

5th Ship, Fubuki Class Destroyer – MURAKUMO

4th Ship, Akatsuki Class Destroyer – INAZUMA

4th Ship, Ayanami Class Destroyer – AKEBONO

9th Ship, Mutsuki Class Destrroyer – YAYOI

Type B-1 Class Submarine – I-19

2nd Ship, Kuma Class Light Cruiser – KITAKAMI

1st Ship, Tenryuu Class Light Cruiser – TENRYUU

3rd Ship, Sendai Class Light Cruiser – NAKA

1st Ship, Aoba Class Heavy Cruiser – AOBA

1st Ship, Myoukou Class Heavy Cruiser – MYOUKOU

/

After flying over the essential parts of the documents, Andreas started to get a clearer image of the naval base's possession. There were more ship girls present than he had assumed at first. Leading and organizing them already seemed like no easy task any layman could accomplish. But before thinking about any of that, the young admiral had to get closer to his little soldiers. For him, this was the first step into the right direction. He has made his decision.

"So, what are you planning to do, Admiral? Since this is your first day, you can use it to get familiar with your surroundings and maybe chat with the others. I will inform you about tomorrow's program, when I see it fitting. Today, let's take it easy, k?" Jabbi recommended as he let out a silent but long-stretched yawn.

"Thank you very much, I will just do that", Andreas replied. "You seem tired, how come?"

"Well, it IS Monday. What do you expect? I could go back to dream land any time now to be frank with you…" Jabbi was trying not to doze off.

"I'll take it from here. Get some rest", Andreas agreed with his weary friend. "Let me ask one thing, though. That girl… Shiranui, was it? You said she would help you out here and then. Is she your assistant or anything of similar role?"

"If you put it that way, I guess she kind of is. Why do you ask?"

"Are you close?"

"…why?" Jabbi was feeling uneasy at the onslaught of Andreas' piercing questions.

"There is but one very important thing I want you to ask her."

Jabbi gulped. What is he planning? He could not possibly know…

"I want you… to ask her for an autograph. I beg you, man. You know I'm too shy for these kinda stuffs. Would you pl-?" Andreas was not able to finish his sentence, because it was now the time for Jabbi's bittersweet revenge. After having endured the pain of several wrestling moves, he now released a technique of his own. Without hesitation he chopped the admiral's forehead with the palm of his right hand with such an enormous impact, even the big and muscular Andreas went to the ground. The one and only finisher we all know and love was performed at that very moment. All Andreas could hear before losing consciousness was a short, yet ear-banging sound. Klatsch.


	4. Chapter 4

After regaining his consciousness, Andreas stood up from the old and crackly wooden floor. He only passed out five minutes ago, but it felt like an eternity. His forehead still hurt and it was sure to swollen up, he could feel it. This painful ache reminded him of the good old times when he and his friends used to slap each other's foreheads by the river side a lot. Though it was agonizing most of the time, it was also very fun. He remembered the adrenalin rushing through his veins, as well as the ambition dancing in the air. At the end of the day, they all laughed it off, turning their pain into joy. This may sound like some weird kind of masochistic-sadistic ritual, but it was not. It was the power of youth. Only those who strain their bodies, endure the pain and embrace the slap can find true happiness. How could he forget that? Over all these years, Andreas has done nothing, but work his butt off. He had to finish mountains of paper work all day with no soul to talk to. Sure, there were some people he communicated with from time to time, but never did he get the feeling of comradeship. All everyone cared about were their position in the organization. Even if they talked to him, Andreas knew that they were merely trying to get benefits off of him. Everyone only thought of themselves. He was no exception. There was no point in faking friendship after all. Only the best of the best could succeed and reach the top of the navy. The rest would drop off very soon. Andreas knew that too well. He acted accordingly to his beliefs; according to what he thought was right. But still, deep inside his heart, he just knew there was something missing. Even after graduating from navy school with the best marks possible, even after collecting countless of prizes for his works, even after being acknowledged by the oldest and wisest of admirals, he didn't feel like being alive. Is being the best at what you do really the happiness Andreas sought? Never in his life has he been so unsure. It can't be wrong to be the best, can it? If he wasn't the best, he would not be able to be here. Yes, that's true. He has already accomplished his dream of becoming an admiral. That alone should be evidence enough that his actions were not wrong. Furthermore, this is no time to indulge oneself in memories. His life at Zweikrallendorf has just begun. He needs to prove, not only to them, but especially to himself that his hard training was not in vain. With fists clenched, Andreas snapped out of his seemingly endless train of thoughts. "K, let's go look for the others."

The halls of the main building were as empty and silent as when he first arrived. You could hear every step echoing through the thick walls of the base. It also may be because these weren't any random steps. These were the steps of one mighty and determined admiral in search for his long-forgotten ambition. But first, he would need to find somebody to talk to or else he would get lonely very quickly. Going down the staircase, Andreas found himself on the second floor. A gentle breeze massaged his face, as he located the widely opened window. It was spring. The gigantic cherry blossom tree in front of the building was dancing elegantly in the wind; its leaves finding their way inside the halls. It was a very beautiful sight and Andreas couldn't help but smile. The peaceful silence was soon interrupted as Andreas heard a loud BANG followed by some CLANKS and CRACKS from one of the rooms. Without a second thought he rushed swiftly to the location where he believed the sounds came from. He stopped in front of a door labeled with 'engine room'. Barging in like the animal he is, Andreas found himself in a room full of metallic implements and bizarre machineries. Undistractedly Andreas noticed a man with beautiful hair lying on the ground next to a gigantic steel table with pieces of metal junk sitting on top of it.

"Ju! Are you okay?" Andreas quickly rushed over to help his buddy get up. Although in confusion, he was alright.

"Yes, yes… I'm fine. Sorry to bother you," Ju replied.

"What happened? I heard some terribly loud noises coming. It sounded like Boom Bots detonating!"

"Don't worry. Everything is daijobu. I was just testing this new mount for the bigger cannons, you see… Turns out, it isn't good enough. It immediately gave in and the gun came crashing down. "

"I see. That's a relief. Ah, I mean it's a relief that no one was injured! Not your gun, that's a pity…"

"Haha, I know. Calm down."

Andreas blushed as he realized that he was overreacting for no reason. Very cute. He took a good look at the cannon lying on the ground. It was still in good shape, so that's good. "It's a 20.3 cm Twin Gun, right? But doesn't it look a bit strange?" Andreas said knowingly, as he tried to change the topic.

"You have sharp eyes. Yes, I modified it throughout the last week. It now comes with greater accuracy and is easier to handle."

"Wow, that's insane! I didn't know you could do such things… I should have expected this from you." Andreas was overwhelming his friend with compliments like the good guy he is.

"It's nothing special really. The whole set-up still isn't even finished yet as you can see. The mount isn't functioning as planned and I actually got a complaint about it by one of our Light Cruisers." Ju lets out a short sigh as he washed his hand in the nearby sink.

"D-Don't let it get to you! You know they are all grateful for your work," Andreas said, as he took in a magnificent fighting stance while trying to encourage his friend.

"I'm not!"

"…?" Andreas feared that he might have said something wrong. Also he realized how ridiculous this pose was and actually got embarrassed for doing that.

"…I'm not letting it get to me. If anything, it gives me more motivation to improve. You know, I used to think that developing flawless machineries is all there is to being a good engineer. I have come to realize that there is no such thing as 'perfect' when it comes to this kind of stuff. The one that has the right to judge the quality of equipment isn't me, the developer…" Ju grabbed a screw-wrench and tipped it against the gun. "It is the user. After all it's those girls who are fighting the enemies of mankind. If I'm able to help them out even just by adjusting some odds and ends, I will be glad to do so. I always do my best, no matter what kind of task it may be. That's my job here after all." He smiled convincingly.

Andreas was listening very vigilantly. He knew Ju was right – how could he be wrong? It all made perfect sense. But still, he could not quite lay the finger on the issue he had in his head. Are the others really the ones who are allowed to judge my work? Even if I'm the one who gave it my best? Am I willing to reach my limit for someone else? Questions after questions flew within Andreas' head, causing a tempest of confusion and uncertainty. He knew that Ju must be right. He just did not know why. He would need to look for the answer as quickly as he could. For now, he should respond. "Ju, you are right. Thank you for telling me that. I think I may have a better understanding of this whole situation now."

"It's nothing to thank me for lol." Ju giggled silently.

"If there's anything I can help you with, please feel free to tell me!" Andreas gave him a heartfelt offer.

"Sure!" The two men shook their hands with such an enormous impact of manliness, even Speedwagon would cry. "So… how about some new materials? I'd like some quality platinum and new sets of steel bars from Steel King. Ah, and I recently read about carbon steel in a magazine. It was good deal, if I recall correctly. Yes and…" Ju went on and on and didn't stop.

Andreas started wondering about whether the base even had the money for such a big amount of resources. It wasn't much last time he checked the papers. "How much would that cost in total?" Andreas asked carefully.

"About 300k silver coins?" Ju replied while still thinking about what would be nice to have.

Andreas needed not to listen any further. Swiftly, he rushed through the door at the speed of light. This, as well, is one of the most sacred techniques he possessed. The Joestars would be proud of him.

Ju saw him off as he watched the big and proud admiral running for his life. "I was joking of course," he thought to himself and closed the door with a grin on his face.

Andreas stopped running as he has reached the other side of the building. After retaking his breath, he wondered why he even ran away. It was a spur of the moment. His mind was telling him no, but his body was telling him yes. But it was not important at the moment, for he had something different in mind. He needed to clench his thirst. Badly. He was so exhausted and thirsty, he could not think straight. But as Lady Fortuna was on his side, he found a vending machine right next to him. Oh boy, how much he would like some water right now. Merely the thought of healthy, cold and prickly water got Andreas super-excited. There was no time to spare. He grabbed a coin out of his pocket and readied his right pointer finger to push the button that would unite him with his beloved wet liquid. Well, if only life was so easy. The vending machine did not offer anything, but 6 different types of 'fuel' and 'cold coffee'. Andreas was on the verge of despair, as he could not comprehend how any normal vending machine could not have freaking water. He realized that he just answered his own question. This is no normal naval base. It's a naval base inhabiting ship girls. They also like to blow up walls apparently. There was nothing normal about this. So why should this vending machine be normal. Thinking about this matter did not actually calm Andreas down. He was still in rage. After evaluating the situation and calmly thinking about it, he had come to a conclusion. The cold coffee it is then. But there was one thing bothering him and he just now gave it a focused thought. Why did the coffee had to be 'cold'. Literally COLD. It said 'cold coffee' right on the label. Not only did Andreas absolutely hate coffee, he could not imagine having to drink it cold. He was overthinking matters once again. There was no point in dragging this out any further. He shoved in the coin and smashed the button mockingly labeled 'cold coffee'. A small plastic cup came out of the vending machine, followed shortly by some weird-looking and weird-smelling brown powder. After five seconds, the machine stopped making weird noises it did in the beginning and came to a stand-still. Andreas stared about 10 more seconds at the vending machine after finally losing it. "WHERE IS THE WATER?" Holding his head and rolling on the floor expressed his inner feelings that were equally to a rollercoaster ride of death. He stood up in Bruce Lee-style and punched the forsaken metal box of demise with all his might, only to have the plastic cup filled with powder ricocheting off the bracket and landing on Andreas' face. He stood silently for another 2 minutes. He admitted defeat. Never in his life had he felt so much disgrace. He gave up. He forfeited. He surrendered. Not even pandas could cheer him up now. He left the vending machine behind as he walked on in life wherever it would carry him to. And by life, I mean the hallway. Speaking of which, Andreas had somehow ended up on the first floor of the west wing. After wandering around for some other unknown period of time and still being unable to meet anyone at all, he stopped by the library. The door was not locked. Maybe he could find anyone in there that could tell him where he could buy something to drink. He considered this as his last act of hope. If he was to fail now, he would quit. Gathering his last bits of strength, he opened the door.

Thus Andreas entered a big hall with a very high ceiling, given the room was divided into two floors. Upon him were gigantic book shelves storing antique-looking books. It was very quiet as you would expect from a library. Though there were also no people. He remembered Jabbi mentioning that the library rarely sees any visitors. What a shame, Andreas thought. He may not look like it, but he was actually quite fond of reading. He liked the thought of reading quietly while bathing in the sun. It was but a true moment of peace. That's also the reason why he used to sneak some books into his belongings while he was training in the mountains. His old master would have scold him very badly if he would have been to find out. Andreas wandered around for a bit. Though he was surrounded by tons of books, the air was still quite fresh. The ventilation was doing its job. He stopped as he noticed a very bizarre-colored book on the top end of a shelf. He grabbed it without any problems due to his enormous height. It was a dark-purple book with the title "Once in a blue moon – the importance of responsibility; by Howard Zen". It piqued Andreas' curiosity. He turned over some pages. After every 10 pages or so, a beautiful illustration could be seen. A blue flower, a blue sunrise, a blue moon. Just looking at them made him forget the rage he had inside his heart just minutes ago. He had to read this book. He felt like he was destined to. The silence was cut shortly. "May I help you?"

Andreas jumped at that sudden and monotone voice coming from behind of him. He turned around and to his surprise it was her. The young lady he had admired this morning. Yes, it was the pink-haired girl who performed the world's greatest Sweet Chin Music. He didn't imagine her looking so authentic when up close. She had light blue eyes that were shining very brightly. She also stared right at him which made him a lot more nervous. He needed to respond quickly. "Ah, no, no. I'm fine, thank you." It took more effort than he expected. After all, this is in fact his very first conversation with a ship girl.

"Is that so? You look irritated, Commander," she responded quickly.

"Do I? Oh, well… I was thinking about reading this book. It looks very interesting. Uhm…"

"Yes, it is. I highly recommend it," she responded quickly once more. "If you're done looking, you may come to the front desk. I shall mark it for you." The girl turned around and moved.

Andreas nodded and quietly followed her. He has found himself in a very awkward situation. Not only is he talking to a ship girl, this one in particular seemed to be very straight-forward. He had no idea how to start a conversation with her. Her name! What was her name again? "Shi-… ranui?"

"Yes?"

Yes, he got it correctly. But wait. This was bad. He actually spoke her name out loudly without a second thought. What was there to talk about? He needed to be quick. "Uhm… are you lonely?" WHAT THE FUCK. Was he serious? He actually said 'lonely' instead of 'alone'. That came out totally wrong. This was bad. She probably thinks I'm mocking her, Andreas thought. How could he fail so hard? The nervousness was kicking in so drastically, it was hard to breath. He did not even want to hear her response. He was so embarrassed, you could paint his face with a cheeky red and it would not make any difference to what it looks like now.

The girl raised her voice. Andreas strained every muscle in his body. "Yes, Shiranui is alone. We rarely have visitors, so me looking after this place is enough. "

Andreas could slap his forehead. Was she pitying him? Or maybe she misheard him? No, that could not be. Oh, the humility was too big for him to handle. He would have preferred her pointing out his slip of the tongue rather than her ignoring it like a stone cold rock. Somebody needed to free him from this awkwardness soon or else he would lose it.

They eventually reached the front desk. "Please write down your name and the title of the book."

"Yes." Andreas proceeded to do as instructed. "That's it?"

"Yes."

"Ok, thank you."

"…"

"…"

This was it. Andreas had been in many uncomfortable situations, but this one tops it all. He had nothing up his sleeve. Nothing to talk about. Should've he just left? No, he could not do that. He did not know why. But he got the feeling that if he was to leave now, he would lose something very important. That's right. It was his pride as the admiral of the local naval base of Zweikrallendorf. If he could not manage to say something now, when would he? He needed to gain the trust of every ship girl as soon as possible. This should be the first step. A healthy relationship between worker and superior is essential for an organization to work. He has decided. With all strength and willpower he could possibly ensemble, he unleashed his last pieces of courage. "How's the weath-"

"Yo, I'm back!" His last resort was brutally cut in half as a man came barging in. It was Jabbi. "Oh, Andi. Fancy meeting you here. Huh, is something wrong?"

Andreas' face has turned pale upholding a frail smile. Also, the girl was still staring at him with no mercy. As something deep inside his heart clicked, he could not help but shed a single tear. "Commander, are you crying?" the girl asked still without any facial expression.

"I'm not. I'm fine," the broken admiral responded so-ever kindly.

"What have you done to him, Nui?" Jabbi asked, afraid of what might have occurred in his absence. He knew that she was unpredictable. She might as well have moved his good friend into a psychic trauma for all what he knew. Andreas' face could tell more than thousands of words. It was beyond salvation. Poor thing.

"I didn't do anything. Mind your own business," she replied coldly.

"IT IS MY BUSINESS! LOOK AT HIM! HE'S ON THE VERGE OF BAWLING! HOW COULD NOTH-"

He did not get to finish his sentence as the girl sent him flying once again. Déjà-vu? There was no need to explain the details, as we all knew what kind of kick was performed for the second time of the day. The impact of said kick was actually strong enough to wake the admiral from his trance. Unfortunately he happened to miss the whole thing. What a bummer. "This is the library. Be quiet," the girl, who seemed to be able to handle the whole WWE by herself, calmly said.

"I-I'm sor-ry…" The destroyed man on the ground could barely manage to speak fluent words. One could not blame him after being assaulted several times on the same day. Life had it rough with him. Slowly but steady, he managed to get back on his feet with the help of Andreas. "Thanks, Andi…"

"Don't sweat it," the admiral replied. "We share the same pain. I'm with you."

Jabbi did not know what his boss was referring to. Andreas seemed to be doing just alright, while he's trying to endure the pain of his life. How exactly did he share this pain? His body would not be able to handle this much longer. "Anyway, wanna go grab some fresh air?" Jabbi mumbled.

"Alright, let's go." The strong Andreas lifted up the loose body of his buddy and proceeded by carrying him in his muscular arms. Truly a situation that every woman longs for. But for these two men, it was nothing special. "Ah, thank you for the book. I'll read it as soon as I find the time!" Andreas called out to the girl, surprisingly without any issues. His hesitations were gone.

"You are welcome," Shiranui replied as she sends them off. She noticed a paper bag lying on the floor. The idiot was carrying it when he entered the room. How tactless of him to leave it there. "Hey, you forgot something." She picked up the bag and showed it to him.

"Hm? I bought you something to drink, it's yours," Jabbi said while comfortably lying in Andreas' arms.

"…" The two men left with a short hand wave, closing the door behind them as silently as possible. The girl sat down on her chair and dedicated her attention to the book she was reading. She slowly pulled out a can from the paper bag. It was an authentic looking green can labeled with 'dr. fuel'. As she calmly opened the can with a click sound, she quietly mumbled "I told him I don't like this brand" and proceeded to drink from it.

The air outside was very fresh. It was still quite windy, but the temperature was pleasant. The backyard behind the main building stretched itself from the edge of the main terrain to the other side where the forest was at. On its immense ground were plenty of different flower beets and a sappy green lawn. It was indeed a breathtaking sight. Andreas knew that he would want to spend his spare time here. It's not even nearly comparable to his moldy and dusty place they call his office. Yes, that's right! Maybe he should move his 'office' to this garden. Working under the glowing sun, surrounded by beautiful plants and pleasant smells – that would be very satisfying. Unfortunately that was not going to happen. He realized this and got a little bit sad. The two men eventually sat down at a nearby bench. "Ahhhhhh… finally. I can't keep on walking," Jabbi said as he let out a loud moan.

"Same as always, huh? You need to step up your game. You can't get exhausted all the time just from walking a few meters." Andreas tried to encourage him to do something for his health.

"Try walking after you get kicked in the face twice and rammed over by a bulldozer – then we may talk again," Jabbi said with a mad undertone as he lighted up a cigarette.

Andreas remembered his assault back in the office and kept silent. It was partially his fault so he was not one to talk. But he did have to admit. This bench was very comfy. Actually, he was quite tired himself. After all, this day has been rough on him as well.

"So. You got used to this place yet, SIR?"

"Not quite, but I'm getting there. This place is huge," Andreas responded, ignoring his friend's sarcastic pronunciation.

"Yes, I'm sure you will. This is a nice place."

"Sure is."

Silence. But it was not that kind of silence like previously. It was an enjoyable silence. One could only hear nature's voice through the birds' tweeting and the wind's rustling through the leaves of the trees. You could even hear the splash of water nearby. Was it the ocean?

"It's a little bit sad though." Jabbi suddenly spoke up.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's a nice place for sure. Kind of reminds me of a rehab center even. But…" He tipped off the ash of his cigarette. "But we aren't here just to play around and relax, are we? This place has its purpose. It provides us with a fitting environment, so we may pursue our job. But still, I kinda feel bad when I'm lying around, doing nothing. I can't truly relax. I'm always reminded of the tasks we have yet to fulfil. Furthermore it's not even us who do the 'real' work. It's them. These little soldiers. This place is their home, their place to rest. They are the ones who are fighting for us, risking their precious life day after day. I only see it fitting if they are the ones allowed to take a breather from time to time and enjoy themselves."

Andreas has kept quiet. But now he felt the urge to say something. "What you're saying is true. But I think it's fine that you rest now and then. You can only do so much as a human can do. Don't you agree?"

"Of course I do!"

Andreas got a bit startled because his buddy randomly raised his voice.

"…I do. But only if I did my best. The best I can do might or might not be enough. But if I'm certain that I gave it my all, pushed my mind and body to its limit and convinced myself that I actually did something to support 'them' – only then I may be able to take a time-out without regrets. After all, we have to remind ourselves over and over again that we aren't doing this for our own sake. It's not about prestige, money or how highly our base is acknowledged by those old geezers. I couldn't care less, if the elders were to fire me from this position. I would still return and work my ass off just for them. We do our best each day because we love these girls. And I'm sure the others think the same."

It slowly but surely occurred to Andreas' head. The pattern was the same. Jabbi was saying something very similar to what Ju has told him before. Giving my best for someone else? Sure, this was supposed to be the ideal goal a captain should have in mind, but still he was wondering about something. Was that even possible? Would he be able to give his best for someone other than him? He started questioning his resolve. But was it not exactly this what he was looking for? A reason to make him feel alive while giving his best for something or - more importantly - someone. He was sure that his mind was treading in the right direction. The answer felt so very close. He just needed a little push. Just a little bit further. He was almost there.

Jabbi finished his cigarette. He has noticed the admiral being in deep thought. He had an idea what might be the problem, so he thought of something. "Maybe, you wanna go see the girls? Go down that path over there." He points at the forest that seemed to have a trail leading somewhere. "Daniel is with them by the river. Make friends with them. I'm sure they'll love you."

Andreas regained his consciousness, realizing he must have been look very worried. "Ah. Yes, I think that's a good idea. It's right over there, right?"

"Yup. You can't miss it."

"Well then." Andreas stood up with his back facing towards his friend.

Looking at the admiral's mighty spine, Jabbi was sure that he would find the answer he was looking for, whatever it may be. He could manage anything if he really tried. That one thing was for sure. "By the way. Did you know that we actually own a table-tennis board? How about it, up for a match when you're feeling better?" Jabbi put on a smug grin.

"WE DO? Ahem. I mean. I gladly take on your offer. It's been a while, but you better prepare yourself." Andreas took on the invitation with a smile.

"You stand no chance, haha. Now go."

"We'll see about that. Bye." With that said, he ran towards the forest with a lot of pep, leaving the man sitting on the bench alone.

Jabbi glanced at him as he walked way. Pleased with himself, he pulled out his lighter from his pocket and tried to stand up. He failed and sat back down. He lightened up another cigarette before trying to stand up one more time. His legs gave in and he fell on the ground miserably. As he got up and sat back on the bench, he let out a long-stretched sigh. "Maybe I'll sit for a little longer."

The trees inhabiting the forest were pretty huge. Not as huge as the cherry tree in front of the main building, but still quite majestic. The path was laid out neatly with paving stone which made it easier to follow. He guessed that the people went here quite often. There were even a few lamps alongside the way. The base was really well equipped. Not too long and Andreas started to hear the sound of water splashing around and the voices of children playing. He must have been close. "A river, he said…" It must have been nice to have a river near the base. It made a good site to enjoy your off time and a suitable place for children to play. Well, maybe not children in general. For them, it might have been a little bit dangerous to play there, but certainly not for 'them'. The ship girls were used to water and therefore to swimming as well, he guessed. Now that he thought about it, he actually got kind of nervous. Again. His first conversation with a ship girl did not turn out well. He was afraid that he might fail again. But that feeling of being afraid was not strong enough to hold him back from what he knew he had to do. He was determined to talk to them. Even if it killed him. Well, maybe, not that much. But the point he was trying to make was clear. At last, he has arrived at the river. It was a small glade, hidden within the forest. The river was not big at all, maybe about 10 feet wide. It was a nice place nonetheless. He saw six smaller girls playing inside the river and one taller girl with an eye patch standing beside it, looking like she's ordering them around. On top of a lower hill, he saw a young man sitting and meditating. He knew that guy.

"Daniel!" Andreas called out to his friend.

Daniel turned around in confusion till he noticed the gigantic figure of the admiral. "Andreus, der Barbar! Good to see you." He broke out of his stance and stood up. "Paying us a visit, aren't you?"

"Yes. I thought I'd check out what you guys were up to. Looks like they are having fun." Andreas greeted his smaller companion with a mighty handshake.

Daniel, while distressed by the monstrous size of the admiral's hand as well as his enormously height, gave him the best handshake he could possibly manage to give. "Yes, it does. They love playing at the river. We rarely get to come here, so it's a very special occasion. Haha, let me tell you they were so excited, most of them could barely sleep yesterday."

While Andreas was happy that they were enjoying the stay so much, he was a little bit sad as well. So they were probably more excited about going to the river than they were for his arrival. Andreas was a man, it would be idiotic to get upset about something so trivial. He shook off the thought and sat down next to Daniel. "Hope I didn't interrupted your… meditation? Since when do you do that?"

"I don't mind. I started just recently. It helps you clear your head of unnecessary thoughts and relax. You should try it as well." Daniel was talking excitedly.

"Hm, I never gave it a real thought. I'll consider it." The thing is Andreas actually performed some meditation sessions before back when he was training in the mountains. Regrettably, it never worked for him. He was more the type that would smash boulders in half to help him concentrate. Converting stress into physical activities was his style of dealing with those things. But he could not tell Daniel that, he was too embarrassed. "So, are you here to keep an eye on them or what?"

"Yup. Though there isn't much for me to do, since they are all well-behaved children." Daniel stretched his arms. "I rarely see them having so much fun, it's entertaining really."

"Is it now?" Andreas glanced over to the girls who all seemed not to have noticed him yet. They were all focused on having the time of their lives, he could not blame them. He watched two gray-haired girls playing with water guns, of which one seemed to enjoy it way more than the other one did. The girl with the bell hanging from her hair was looking more angry than happy. "What's with her?" Andreas pointed at her.

"Her? Ah, you mean Akebono. Don't worry, she always has a grim face like that. She's actually enjoying playing just as much as the others do," Daniel explained conclusively.

"Is that so…" Andreas did not know how to approach that kind of girl. He already knew for some reason that it would not be easy for him. He kept observing the girls when one in particular caught his attention. It was a brown-haired girl with two speakers and a small radio head on… well her head. But what stood out more than that was what she was doing. She was actually collecting sticks and branches to build a dam inside the river. Her eyes had the look of determination while she was working on it like it was her life that was at stake. Was she a fucking beaver? Welp. At closer inspection her appearance certainly resembled a beaver. Andreas did not want to dig deeper into that matter. He was sure that she had a good reason to do what she was doing. As long as she had her fun, who is he to deny it from her?

"Hm, pretty impressive. That dam is even thicker than the previous one. You are getting better with each try, Yukikaze." Daniel nodded knowingly as like he was an expert on dam-building.

Andreas did not know how think about that. "So, does she do that often?"

"Yes, why?"

"Ehm, nothing. Forget about it." Andreas certainly did not want to go further into that matter as he got the feeling that it was none of his business. Moving on. On the other side of the river, there were yet two other girls, one with light blue and the other one with purple hair. They were standing inside the river doing absolutely nothing. It looked like there were talking about something, but Andreas could not make it out. He found it quite weird. Were they playing some kind of endurance game? He stopped thinking about it as the taller girl caught his attention. That girl with dark blue hair had an eye patch on her left eye which stood out a lot. But what stood out more were her shouting randomly and pointing to the water. What was she doing? The enlightenment came shortly after as one light brown-haired girl came out of the water. "Awawa, you found me, nanodesu…," she said. Andreas understood what was going on. So there were playing a variation of hide and seek inside the water! How fitting for ship girls, Andreas thought.

"Iku has been diving for quite some time, huh? She hasn't showed up even once."

Andreas turned pale. "W-What? Wait, isn't that bad? Maybe she's drowning! Shouldn't we check…"

"No, no, you got that wrong. She's able to dive for a VERY long time, don't worry." Daniel tried to calm Andreas down who was about to go jump into the water. "She's a submarine, you know."

A lightbulb rose above Andreas' head. He remembered reading about one single submarine that was stationed at this base. So it was her who Daniel talked about. That was a relief. "Oh, my bad, haha."

They kept watching them play for a while. It was nothing special, just a handful of girls having fun. Why did Andreas have that weird sensation inside his heart? He knew that feeling. Was it… sympathy? That feel was out of place for such a scenario, Andreas thought. Why was he feeling it then? Then, with a sudden realization, it occurred to him.

Daniel took the word. "Makes you think they are just ordinary girls living their lives, doesn't it? Watching them having fun like that, I mean…"

Andreas was surprised. It was like Daniel could read what he was thinking. That's right. These girls looked like any ordinary girls you could find on a playground. They laughed like normal girls, they played like normal girls. But they were not. They had their life designated for them in stone. They were destined to fight the mysterious evil that lied waiting in the ocean. That's what they were made for. There would not be any time to grow up and have fun like ordinary children. The thought of it made Andreas feel incredibly sorry. Is that really alright? Do we have the right to make the descisions about their lives? Andreas did not know. He wanted to voice his thoughts. "Say…, Daniel."

"Yes?"

"Do they feel sad? I can't help but think that we are forcing them to fight for us. Looking at them having so much fun makes you feel like being a gigantic ass for stealing their freedom, does it not? I don't know anymore…" This was bad. With an abrupt turn of thoughts, Andreas' mindset has changed its direction completely. He was not only questioning his position as an admiral, he was also questioning the reasoning of mankind for creating the ship girls. He knew, even before he assigned to this base, that it was a delicate matter and people usually would not like to speak about it. It sounded true when you thought about it. If you watched the situation from 'their' perspective, it certainly did look like mankind was using them for their own purposes. Andreas knew that he was overthinking matters again, but he could not stop himself from doing so. Somebody had to save him.

"I think you're wrong, sir." Daniel's voice cut through the tense air like a razor-sharp dagger, gaining Andreas' attention. "That's not how they see it, at all. They know what they were made for… and they accept it. They don't fight just because we tell them to do so. They know better. They know that they are the only one who can stop the evil from spreading any further. Back when you were a kid, didn't you always want to become a police officer or a firefighter? A hero that protects others? It's the same with them, except they actually have the potential to help people. They WANT to help us, we are not forcing them to."

The words of Daniel touched a familiar nerve in Andreas' head. He remembered. Everything. His other comrades have told him as well. Now, after seeing the girls in person and after listening to what Daniel said, he has finally got it. The answer to the question he was thinking about for so long.

"So it's up to us to give our best to preserve their smiles at moments like this. Don't you agree?" Daniel put on a smile.

That's right. There was no need to feel sorry. Rather than feeling bad for the girls, he should use the time to think about what could make them happy. It was so easy! Andreas could not believe that it took him so long to get there. But it felt refreshing nonetheless. The void that has gathered inside his heart has vanished. He knew what to do. Giving his best was something that he excelled at and no one could question that. He would make sure, from this day on, that he would use his capabilities and skills to improve every aspect of the base, may the changes be big or small. He would make sure that at every minute that passed within the halls of the base, he was giving his best, no matter the task. As long as he was the admiral of this base, he would make sure to give them a reason to keep on smiling, so they may fight without having any regrets. He has decided. He was going to become the best admiral the girls could have ever wished for.

With a determined look and wide smile on his face, Andreas stood up. The sun was shining upon him, giving his heart the warmth he had needed ever so much. He felt like a totally different person. He could feel his new-gained resolve flowing within his veins. He could feel his heart beating out of joy and excitement. This was the moment where a new chapter of his life began. This was the time to live his life the way he truly wanted to. "Daniel."

"Y-Yes?" Daniel had become a bit nervous. The admiral has been standing there for quite some time, not saying a single word and it got him worried. But looking up to the gigantic admiral bathing in the sun, wearing a smile he had never seen him wearing, gave Daniel reassurance that whatever he was planning, he would be just fine.

"Do you think I could go play with them?" Andreas convincingly asked.

"Huh? Sure!" Daniel stood up. "HEEEEYYYYY, GUUUUYS!" He was yelling so suddenly that even Andreas 2.0 got startled for a second. Daniel called out to the girls down the river who turned around and noticed him. "The admiral has come to play with you guys! Please come up and say hi!"

It did not take them too long to react as a handful of them jumped right out the water, rushing up the hill straight to the admiral with bright and sparkling eyes. "Hey, hey, commander. Let's go play!" The girls took him by his hand assertively. "The water is nice and cold. Let's go!" They were giggling all over the place as they pulled Andreas down the hill who was a bit surprised by their sheer strength. "Can you swim? I can teach you if you want, hehe," one of the girls proudly offered to him.

Andreas was overwhelmed by the onslaught of little girls, he could barely manage to stand on his feet. But he did not refuse their offers, neither did he resist. Playing with them and getting to know them was the first step for a healthy relationship which he really cared about. "Haha, wait up, you guys. I don't even have any swimming trunks with me."

The girls looked at him with confused gazes. "Schwimmin' tranks?"

Andreas has noticed before. The girls were not wearing any swimming suits either but rather their ordinary clothes. He knew that it would be super uncool to let them down now that he got here. So he spoke up. "Ahhh, don't mind it. Hey, can I play with that too?" He pointed at the water gun a girl was holding.

She looked at him and smiled. She reached out to hand it over to him. And faked back out. She jumped into the water instead, splashing the admiral wet from head to toe and yelled. "Only if you can catch me, commandeeeer!" The other girls jumped in as well, waving at the admiral, inviting him to come and join them.

The newborn admiral did not even hesitate for a second and jumped right in, causing a gigantic water bomb that splashed all over the girls. They laughed very brightly as they saw the admiral being totally soaked in water while still wearing his pure-white uniform. Andreas did not mind getting wet. He made them laugh from ear to ear. In his honest opinion, it was worth the humility. He started to smile and laugh as well for the first time in a long while. As he recalled, the last time he had so much fun was while playing 'SpeedRunners'.

Daniel still sat on top of the hill, watching the enormous admiral playing with the children. It was a hilarious yet heart-warming sight. He reached to his backpack, pulling out a bar of chocolate. While grinning from the edge of his mouth, he took a bite. "This place sure changes you."


End file.
